Surface cattle-guard.



N0., 683,002. Patented Sept. l7, l90l. R. S. RUST.

SURFACE CATTLE GUARD.

(Application filed Jan. 4. 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

\siQEElE-Ii lll wzilzwir'ayx I I f ms PEYERS c0. PNOTO-LITNOWWASHMAYON u c No. 683,002. Patented Sept. l7, mm. a. s. BUST.

sum-Ace CATTLE GUARD.

(Application filed Jan. 4. 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Z0 32 7263868. flvazz w" er M UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

EOBERT s, RUST, or FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA.

SURFACE CATTLE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,002, dated September 17, 1901. Application filed January 4, 1901. Serial No. 42,090. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Beitknown that 1, ROBERT S. RUsT, a citizen Of the United States, residing at Front- Royal, in the county of Warren and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surface Cattle-Guards; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact dercription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to railroad appliances, but more particularly to that class commonly known as cattle-guards, and has for its object to provide a device of this class which will be efficient and which will under all circumstances prevent cattle from using the road-beds of railroads as a means of passing to and from adjoining fields or from taking to the road-bed at crossings.

With this object inflview myinvention con sists in constructing a surface cattle-guard composed of movable gates and platforms, but is more particularly confined to the man'- ner of hanging the same.

My invention also consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the gatepickets and in certain other novel features of combination, which will be hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of my cattleguard in operation. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the same, showing the gates down. Fig. Sis a sectional view of the same, showing the gates in an upright position as in Fig. 1. Fig.4 is a longitudinal section through the gates. Fig. 5 shows my manner of arranging the pickets of the gates when two guards are used to prevent cattle going either way. Fig. 6 is a plan view of a part of one of the gates as it is stamped from a sheet of metal, the same being broken away in order to enlarge the view. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of one of the pickets and shows in dotted lines how the gates are socured to the rock-shaft. V

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views-,in which 1 indicates the bed-pieces, and 2 the ties set therein. Secured to said bed-pieces are the standards 3, in which the platform rock- I shaft 4 and the gate rock-shaft 5 are journaled. Said platforms and gates when in a horizontal position are substantially in the same horizontal planewith the tracks, and I attain this by constructing the rock-shafts 4 and 5 with offsets6 and 7, thus making it possible to have the platforms 8 upon a common rock-shaft and the gates 9, 10, and 11 upon a common rock-shaft without placing said gates and platforms below the plane of the road-bed. Said platforms 8 are also connected at their outer euds by means of-a shaft 12, similar to the rock-shafts 4 and 5, whereby all of the platforms are depressed when the Weight is on one only. I stamp the gates 9, 10, and 11 out of sheet metal 13, thus making the pickets 14 and the sleeve 15 integral, which arrangement adds greatly toare cut outat 18 and 19, and the hypotenuses of said triangles form angles of about fortyfive degrees with the cut 16 and extend to points 20, said points being in line with point 17, thus forming two right-angled triangles 21 and 22.

It must be understood that my pickets when in position are formed substantially like an inverted V. Consequently after the sheet metal is stamped, as described, that portion that forms the sleeve 15 is bent upwardly at right angles to the pickets along the dotted line 23. Said pickets are then bent upwardly along their centers at 24, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. '6, thus forming an inverted V. This operation makes the parts that form the sleeve 15 overlap one another, as shown in Fig. 7, and the right-angled triangular portions 21 and 22 are bent Over against the back of the sleeve portion, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. The sleeve 15 is then formed around the rock-shaft 5 and securely riveted, as shown in dotted lines in Fig.- 7.

I GO

Secured to the bottom' of the tie 2 is a bracket 25, provided with a circular opening to holdthe guide-pin 26, said guide-pin being pivoted to the bottom of the central platform 8. Said bracket 25 forms a seat for the spring 27, which holds the platforms 8 and the gates 9, 10, and 11 in a horizontal position. Just in front of said spring is the link 28, pivoted to the bottom of the central platform 8 and also pivoted to the bell-crank 29, which is secured to the intermediate tie 2 by means of the bracket 30. Pivotally secured to said bell-crank is the upwardly-curved gate-operating arm 31, which is also pivotally secured to the sleeve 15 of the central gate 10.

When 1 desire to use a double guard, so as to prevent cattle from going in either direction, I use two independent guards and place them facing each other, the pickets 15 inter-,

lapping; but in this event I construct the pickets with their vertexes havingjust half the angle they have when only oneguard is used and with one vertical side, so that when the pickets interlap, as shown in Fig. 5, the vertical sides of the pickets face each other and the two vertexes merge into one and form a sharp surface. The object of constructing the single pickets with this vertex and arranging the double or interlapping pickets so as to form this vertex is to make my guard more efficient, for if in any unforeseen manner the platforms orgates should fail to operate the cattle could not pass over the sharp pickets. Thus I combine a stationary and a movable cattle-guard in one, which greatly increases its efficiency, while it detracts nothing from its simplicity and adds in no way to its cost of manufacture.

Having thus described the several parts of my invention, its operation is obvious. As soon as an animal steps upon a platform the gates rise and present a barrier, as illustrated in Fig. 1. hen the weight is removed from the platform, the spring 27 again raises the platforms and lowers the gates to their horizontal positions.

the. from collecting underneath the platforms and interfering with the'mechanism I prefer to inclose the same within a box or casing.

Having, thus described my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact construction herein set forth, as various slight changes might be made therein, and I consider myself en titled to all such modifications and changes; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is.-

1. In a cattle-guard, the combination of gates having interlapping pickets, the contiguous faces of which coincide so that each pair has a common sharp edge, and platforms to operate said gates, substantially as described.

2. Inacattle-guard, the combination of the p1atforms,a rock-shaft secured thereto, a bellcrank, a link connecting said bell-crank and platforms, a guide-pin adapted to guide said platforms, movable gates, a rock-shaft carrying said gates, a gate Operating arm connecting said bell-crank with said gates, and means for holding said gates normally in a horizontal position, substantially as described.

3. In a cattle-guard, the combination of the platforms, a rock-shaft secured thereto,a bellcrank connected. to said platforms, a guidepin adapted to guide said platforms, movable gates, a rock-shaft carrying said gates and a gate-operating rodconnecting said bell-crank with said gates, substantially as described.

4. In a cattle-guard, the combination of the operating platforms, and gates connected thereto formed of asinglepiece of sheet metal carrying integral pickets having sharp edges their entire length,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

R. S. RUST.

Witnesses:

WM. R. BUCK, L. W. BURKE. 

